SOS3800

Zombie Apocalypse! Preparing for the unexpected

Whether triggered by pandemics, natural disasters, cyberattacks, infrastructure failures, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical conflicts, or other unexpected events, crises can affect all aspects of society. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that we were unprepared in many areas and highlighted how all of society was affected. Managing such situations requires balancing multiple and sometimes competing priorities, including public safety, economic stability, psychological well-being, social cohesion, and the continuity of essential services. How to keep society running while minimizing the economic, health, psychological, and social consequences of measures such as infection control interventions during a pandemic?

The next crisis might be just around the corner and as always there are many unknowns. Following the US Centers’ for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emergency preparedness motto “if you're prepared for a zombie apocalypse, you're prepared for pretty much anything!” this village plans for the next emergency.

Relevant competency

Independent of whether you plan for the Zombie Apocalypse, a future pandemic or other big crisis, students from all disciplines are welcome in the village to engage from their various disciplinary backgrounds with the panoply of challenges posed by unexpected crises.

About the village

This village is not specifically about the Zombie Apocalypse. Sorry! Instead, inspired by the CDC's all-hazards preparedness approach, it invites villagers to explore a wide range of crisis and disaster scenarios and develop projects that can strengthen preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience.

Examples of challenges include maintaining critical infrastructure during cyberattacks, ensuring the continuity of essential services during natural disasters, managing disruptions to global supply chains, communicating effectively with the public during emergencies, protecting vulnerable populations, planning for resource shortages, and coordinating responses across organizations and sectors. Villagers may also explore questions such as: How can organizations prepare for highly uncertain events? How can emergency plans remain relevant over time? How can new technologies support resilience? And how can societies balance safety, economic activity, and well-being during disruptive events?

For further information on pandemic planning see: 

• CDC (2011): Preparedness 101; zombie pandemic
• World Health Organization (2026): Framework for health emergency preparedness and response capabilities for national public health agencies
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
• World Health Organization Western Pacific: Preparing for pandemics.
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction : What is the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction?

More about Experts in Teamwork 

In the document Formal Framework, you can read more about the course, including the general course description for EiT, which covers learning outcomes, learning methods and activities, as well as more information about assessment and compulsory activities.  

How do I register for EiT?